Send and receive text messages

Send a text message

You can send text messages that display your Google Voice phone number to the person you're messaging. To do so, follow these steps:

Launch Google Voice for iPhone.

Tap the Dialer tab.

Enter the person's number, then tap the Text button.

Compose your message, and tap the Send button.

You can also send text messages by selecting the person's number under "Quick Dial" or, tapping Text at the top right side of your Inbox. You can even respond to messages in your Inbox via text.

Text messages will be sent through your data plan, as opposed to your text messaging plan, so there won't be any text messaging charges for messages sent to numbers in the US or Canada.

Notifications about new text messages

Google Voice for iPhone uses push notifications to instantly alert you when you receive a new text message. You can manage your options by going to Apple's Settings > Notifications > Google Voice. There is no charge for text messages received in Google Voice for iPhone.

If you enable push notifications on your iPhone, text forwarding will automatically be disabled from your Google Voice account. This means that text messages sent to your Google Voice number will only show up in the Google Voice for iPhone app, and will not show up as a duplicate notification in your iPhone Messages app. If you choose to have text messages forwarded to your iPhone Messages app, you may be charged for your received text messages, depending on your text messaging plan.

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Megan is a Google Voice expert and author of this help page. Help her improve this article by leaving feedback below.